Brazil: Census strengthens quilombolas´ claims for rights
The release of the 2022 Demographic Census data on quilombolas on Thursday (Jul. 27) is being celebrated by leaders of various organizations and entities. The survey is expected to bring the descendants of former slaves out of invisibility and bolster their claims for rights and access to public policies.
This marks the first time that a Demographic Census has counted the quilombola population, revealing that there are 1,327,802 individuals in the country, comprising 0.65 percent of the Brazilian population. The results also show they are spread across 1,696 of the 5,568 Brazilian municipalities.
The National Coordination of the Articulation of Rural Black Quilombola Communities (Conaq) considers this census section a significant achievement for the quilombola movement. "We are very happy to reach this stage. We hope for recognition at all levels—municipal, state, and federal. With official data, we hope that the various bodies will recognize us and give us access to public policies," said José Alex Borges, Conaq’s executive coordinator.
Borges acknowledges the challenges faced, including financial and human resource cuts that hindered counting quilombola population in different territories, and emphasizes the survey's importance.
"It is a legal instrument. We have conducted numerous surveys within the quilombola movement, but they lacked official recognition. With these official figures now, we can advocate for public resources and policies," he said.
The Demographic Census is the sole household survey that covers all municipalities in the country, offering crucial information to shape public policies and financial resource allocation decisions. Although Brazil conducts a census every ten years, this is the first edition to include a questionnaire to identify quilombolas.
Invisibility
Popular educator João Luís Joventino do Nascimento, a resident of Quilombo do Cumbe in Aracati, Ceará state, believes that the Census holds the potential to bring these populations out of invisibility and facilitate progress in public policies. He emphasizes its significance in addressing the vital land issue, as access to land and territory serves as a cornerstone. “This struggle for land and territory lays the foundation for building quilombola schools, promoting differentiated education, improving healthcare, fostering agriculture, and ensuring food sovereignty.
Lawyer Vercilene Dias, born in the Kalunga quilombo in Cavalcante, Goiás state, also joins in the celebration. She highlights the significance of visibility, stating that “without knowing who these people are and where they reside, it becomes challenging to tailor specific public policies for this population. Even if the data are not 100 percent complete, the increased visibility is immensely important,” she says.
However, Vercilene Dias, Conaq's legal advisor, reflects on the limitations of this initial survey and the need for further discussion in future research.
"The quilombola question was included in the questionnaire only for areas where there are quilombola communities. In 2019, Brazil´s statistic agency IBGE conducted a preliminary survey to identify the locations of these communities. Consequently, many quilombolas who reside in cities were not accounted for. I am one such example. Currently living in Brasília, I would have needed to be in my community, at my parents' house to be able to access the specific quilombola questionnaire, on the day the IBGE team visited them," she pointed out.
